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Grand Rapids staff to seek citywide input on DASH pilot and transit funding amid parking‑fund limits
Summary
City staff presented a transit support initiative and community engagement framework for a two-track public process: evaluate the DASH pilot route and convene a citywide discussion on how to use parking‑funded dollars to support transit. Staff warned parking fund projections do not show revenue increases and said the current DASH service is projected to be sustainable for about five years under current estimates.
City staff told the Mobile GR Commission they will launch a citywide engagement this summer to decide how identified funds should support transit — including whether to keep a downtown circulator (the DASH) or reallocate those dollars to other citywide transit priorities.
Max, the staff lead for Mobile GR, said the work will follow two tracks: an assessment of the recent DASH pilot and a separate, broader conversation about transit support and funding. "If the downtown circulator is the community's priority for these funds, we're happy to continue that," Max said, but added that the DASH is funded primarily by parking fund dollars and that projections currently show no increase in that revenue source. "We can keep this current DASH operational route for five years based on our cost assessments," he said, "but I don't anticipate a way for us to operationally keep the DASH the same for the next 30 years without the funding source changing."
Andrea Riley Mokovitz, community engagement manager, walked commissioners through a new community engagement framework that standardizes how staff will inform and involve residents. She described a process map that begins with a "call to action," then partner mapping, threshold-setting (inform, involve, co‑create), and closing the feedback loop with community members. "When I work with staff, I talk about telling the full story of engagement," she said, explaining that staff will use past outreach while also gathering new feedback tied specifically to the current DASH pilot.
Staff outlined a tentative timeline: return in July with a detailed engagement design; begin public participation in August; analyze input in September; and present a recommendation to the city commission in November for FY28 budget planning. Andrea said staff will use prior data (surveys, focus groups) as context but cautioned that earlier research reflects the old service and may not map exactly to the new route.
Commissioners pressed staff on how prior engagement would be incorporated and on the content of the "inform" phase. One commissioner suggested the engagement should include outreach to non‑riders who might become new transit users; Andrea said staff will do partner mapping to identify underrepresented groups.
Several commissioners raised a policy question: should transit be funded from the parking fund? Commissioner Sessa and others warned that relying on parking revenue can create a conflict — if transit succeeds and reduces parking demand, the revenue base for the DASH could shrink. Max acknowledged the concern and said the commission and staff could consider broader policy options in future discussions.
Staff emphasized that formal ridership reports on the revised DASH were not yet available. Anecdotal reports from early May were "encouraging," but staff declined to offer final ridership numbers until data are compiled.
The commission asked staff to prepare the engagement design and to return with clearer options for how the city might prioritize limited resources. The conversation will inform the November recommendation the staff plans to present to the city commission.
